Well, it finally happened. Our five star run on Trip Advisor has ended. We have been holding our breath, much the way we do before we get our first scratch in the paint on a new car. Knowing it is inevitable, when it finally happens we are bummed but somewhat relived. And this one comment was a good critique! We can learn from it, and we intend to! We will react with a change in the service during our Market Dinner Show as a result. So what was the comment?

The whole review was really a good one. Our food and show was highly praised. The comment made was translated by Trip Advisor as a ding against our service. The comment was that our dinner show started at 6:00 with a plated appetizer dish, and the buffet wasn’t served until 8:00. Our intention was that the starter, a pasta cheese dish, would hold them till the buffet opened, as they watch it all come together. We have in the past done two waves of buffet and we can easily go back to that.

One of the blessing that there is such a thing as Trip Advisor is that we have many new friends coming from all over the country and the world for that matter. Our customer base has grown and we are grateful. The fact that we are not exactly a restaurant can be confusing to our new guests. They go to Trip Advisor looking for a restaurant and see us. Even though every event at EVOO includes a meal, the “show” is also part of our product. Trip Advisor doesn’t really have a category for that!

We often have a difficult time reading the reviews because they are so good, and because we know it makes us perched for a fall; it’s only a matter of time. So our position regarding our performance has always been what is known in the food business as, “you are only as good as your last banquet.” Meaning, don’t rest on your laurels. Everyday is a fresh start and we need to deliver the hospitality standard we want to be known for at EVOO every day.

So when a guest does make a comment that critiques us, (rather than criticizing), as this one did, we are grateful to learn from it and we take it to heart.